I am going to attempt something that I haven’t done in quite a while. I’m
going to preach on a whole chapter at once. I think that the last time that
I did this was when I preached on Psalm 117 – which has all of two verses.
Let me explain why I’m doing this. Jesus didn’t talk in chapters and verses.
Matthew didn’t write his Gospel in chapters and verses. Jesus began talking
at the beginning of what we call Matthew 24 and He didn’t stop dealing with
the same topic until our chapter 26. If we focus only on a few verses, we’ll
miss the big picture, and we really do need to see the big picture if the
individual verses are going to make sense. So, this morning I’d like to help
you to see something of the big picture here. Because of that I’ll be
leaving out some important details. But we can come back to get those some
other time. In the first part of His teaching Jesus is talking about His
coming. That’s our chapter 24. By the time He gets to the end of that
chapter and into chapter 25 He’s raising the question of being ready for
that coming. Now, do you know what it means to be ready? That’s what I want
to focus on. Do you know what it means to be ready? In our text, Jesus
explains ‘being ready’. Listen to what the Spirit has to say from His Word.
Jesus begins with a story about ten young women. You’ll need a little
cultural background to understand the story. In first-century Israel when
the time for the wedding drew near, the groom and his party would process
through the town to meet the bride and her party, and then everyone would go
to someone’s house for the wedding ceremony and the celebration that
followed. These processions often happened at night with the wedding parties
processing with their torches, making quite a display. The ten women in the
story are members of the bride’s wedding party. They wait, with their
torches lit, for the procession of the groom. The groom is delayed. But then
his coming is announced. He’s on his way! This is where the excitement
begins. But there is a problem. Because of the delay the oil for the torches
has been used up and five of the women don’t have any more. So, they leave
to buy more. While they are away the groom arrives and everyone goes to the
house where the celebration begins. The five women return with torches
blazing, but they have missed the procession. When they go to the place of
celebration they are denied entrance. They are excluded from the wedding and
its celebration. This is not by some mistake or accident. The groom denies
them entrance.
With a simple story Jesus makes a profound point for His listeners. Some of
those who eagerly await the coming of the Son of Man will not be allowed
entrance into His kingdom. They will be excluded. By Jesus. Please note that
He is not speaking to a group of pagans. He is speaking to the Church of the
day. Jesus is warning His listeners, the Church, to be ready. He is telling
them that if they are not ready they will be excluded. Jesus addresses this
story not just to that original audience. He addresses it to you. Some in
His Church will not be ready. These will be forever excluded from the
celebration. The point of the story is clear. Be ready!
Once you hear this story you should ask yourself a question. ‘Am I ready? If
Jesus were to return right now would I be included or excluded?’ You need to
ask yourself this question. But I think that if your average Christian today
sincerely asked himself that question it would almost necessarily lead to a
second question. ‘What does it mean to be ready?’ Crucial question. Eternity
hangs on the answer. However, the story about the ten women doesn’t answer
it. But Jesus’ next story does.
The second story is about a master and his three slaves. The master is about
to take a trip, so he takes his money and entrusts it to the three slaves.
The master returns and prepares to settle accounts. The first two servants
give an account of what they did with their master’s wealth and, though the
numbers are different for each, both are equally commended. They took what
they were given, and they made a profit for their master. The third servant
is different. He does not trade with what was given to him as the other two
did. Instead, he buries it. He returns no profit for the master. As a
result, he is cast into the outer darkness. He is excluded. The point of the
story is not difficult to understand. When Jesus returns, He will settle
accounts with all of His servants – us. He will consider what was entrusted
to us – the abilities, opportunities and resources that we received from
Him – and then ask the question, ‘What did you do with what was entrusted to
you? Did you produce a profit for Me?’ Jesus’ will evaluate each life. And
He will be looking to see how the cause of the Gospel was advanced by each
one of us. He will be looking to see how each life brought honor to Him.
This story explains what being ready means. Someone who is ready can say, ‘I
am prepared to have Jesus evaluate my life. I am prepared to have Him list
the assets that He entrusted to me and compare that with the profit that I
made for Him.’ That’s what ‘being ready’ means. I have left out much detail,
but I want to include one thing here. The problem with the third servant is
that he refused to take any risks with what was entrusted to him. He played
it safe and buried the money. And the reason that he didn’t take any risks
is that he didn’t understand his master’s heart. He did not understand that
taking a risk for the sake of Jesus cannot result in failure even if it
looks like failure to the world. I wonder if we also play it safe.
Now, you’d think that Jesus would be done. He’s warned about the danger of
not being ready and finding yourself excluded. He’s explained that being
ready means that your life is all set for inspection. Is there more? There
is. Jesus pictures for His audience, and us, what the Last Day will be like.
When He returns all will be arrayed before Him. It’s time to be evaluated.
It’s time to see who really is ready. Here, Jesus is specific about what He
will be looking for. Back in the story about the three servants Jesus
explained that He will be looking for a profit. Here, He tells us what kind
of profit He is looking for. On the Last Day Jesus will separate everyone
into two groups. One group, the sheep, will be welcomed into the wedding
celebration, but the other group, the goats, will be excluded. What
distinguishes the two groups? What is the profit for Jesus that the sheep
produced that the goats didn’t? The sheep took what was entrusted to them by
the Master, and they used it to care for people. Not just ‘people’, but
needy people: the hungry, the thirsty, the strange [sic], the naked, the
sick, the imprisoned. The sheep invested their ‘talents’ in this way. Now,
is this the only thing that Jesus will consider on the Last Day? No. Other
Scripture point to other things also. But it is important to note that this
is the only thing that Jesus talks about in this text. Care for those in
need is what He emphasizes here. Now, consider the goats. What qualified
them for this category? Was because of some wrong that they did? No. It wasn
’t what they did but what they failed to do that made them goats. What Jesus
is saying here is that those who will be approved on the Last Day are the
Christians who care for other people, people in need. And let me include a
detail that will need to be developed at another time. The people in need
that Jesus is talking about are Christians, ‘the least of these, My
brethren.’
Do you see the big picture now? Jesus speaks to His Church about His coming,
and this is what He is telling us, ‘Be warned. Some won’t be ready. They
will be excluded from eternal life. Being ready means that you are prepared
for Me to examine your life to see what you have done with what I have
entrusted to you, to see if you have brought a profit to Me and My cause.
The profit that I am particularly interested in is the care of those in
need, especially Christians in need.’ That summary leaves out a lot of
details, but it is accurate.
And now, of course, the question is simply this. Are you ready? Now, some of
you might be thinking, ‘I hear what the Spirit is saying to me, that care
for others in need is a priority. But I don’t know how to do that. I don’t
even know where to begin.’ If this is you, take heart. You’re on the right
track. The first thing is to pray. ‘Lord, I’ve heard You, but I don’t know
the next step. Help. Show me what to do.’ Pray and then talk to others and
see what ideas they might have, what opportunities they know about. You can
talk to me. I’ll tell you what I do.
Now others of you might be saying, ‘I hear what the Spirit is saying to me,
but I just don’t have any time to do even one more thing. Life is very full
already. I’m just too busy to do more.’ Let’s examine that. Busy doing what?
I’m going to guess that we’re not talking about busy playing computer games
and watching DVDs. You’re busy at the job and caring for your family. Let’s
look at the first of those two. It’s a fact that corporate America is
requiring more and more from its workers, especially its professional
workers. Many of you really are very busy because of your jobs. But consider
this. The Last Day is coming. Jesus will examine your life. Will saying,
‘Jesus, I would have been more involved in caring for others, but I was just
too busy at my job’ be a sufficient excuse? Now, I’m not saying that Jesus
expects you to quit your job first thing tomorrow morning. Some situations
are difficult to extricate yourself from. But I do want you to think about
and pray about the priorities of your lives in light of what you have heard
through the Spirit from our text. Then see if there are some adjustments you
need to make. Then there’s the matter of being busy with the family. That
seems unassailable. How can anyone be faulted for being busy doing this?
But, again, on the Last Day Jesus isn’t going to ask about all the different
activities your kids were involved in. According to our text, the question
that He is going to ask is, ‘Was your family ministering to saints who are
in need?’ I think that it would be wise for you to think about and pray
about the priorities of your families. Ask yourself how the priority of
caring for other Christians in need is reflected in the choices that you
make when it comes to the ‘talents’ entrusted to you, things like time,
money and energy. How are you conveying to your kids the critical importance
of being ready for the Last Day?
I know that I have said some strong things. And I want you to know that I do
not take that lightly. I have spent extra time praying over the sermon this
past week trying to be sure that I get it right. But as you look at this
text, what else could I have said? As you return to the world for another
week, here is the question that I hope you will ponder. The Last Day is
coming. Jesus will examine your life. Are you ready?
